I’m sharing one of my favorite meals from when I was a kid. My mom would always ask for suggestions when putting together our weekly meal plan and I’m pretty sure I suggested Greek Meatballs every single week.
I also attribute this recipe to my love of rice. We would scoop out a big bowl of white rice, top it with meatballs and then cover it all in the delicious sauce. It was the best meal ever, served with a side of vegetables of course.
I’m a huge supporter of getting kids in the kitchen. Over the course of my summer cooking camp I noticed that most kids were pretty adventurous and would try almost everything we made together, even if it had an ingredients they claimed to dislike. By the end of each week I had converted a few to zucchini lovers.
Having children involved in the menu planning is a great first step to getting them helping out in the kitchen. Let them look through cookbooks and magazines to find recipes they want to try. Slowly work up to having them help prepare and once they are old enough even try making dinner on their own.
I think having confidence in the kitchen is a very important skill to have. Let them start experimenting with different tastes and flavors now and soon you might have a new family chef.
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Table of Contents
Greek Meatballs (Soutzoukakia)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 peices of bread crumbled
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ⅓ cup water
For sauce
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 2½ cups water
- ¾ cup red wine
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Mix beef, onion, bread, garlic, egg, sugar, salt, cumin, pepper, and water together until well combined. For into small meat patties, about the size you would for a slider.
- Preheat large skillet (I use an electric skillet) to medium brown patties on each side. Remove and set aside on a plate.
- Reduce heat to low mix in all sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Add meatballs back to skillet and let simmer, covered, for 1 hour.